Chang'an City, the General's Office of Anxi.
Guo Dingfang, the General of Anxi and the General of Zhenxi of the Great Xin Dynasty, also received an urgent imperial edict from the capital, along with a yellow axe and bow and arrows bestowed upon him by Emperor Zhao Gan.
To be fair, while Emperor Zhao Gan was incompetent, he was quite adept at winning people's hearts.
The soldiers and horses have not moved, but Huang Yue's bow and arrow are advancing first.
These two items, symbolizing the highest honors bestowed by the emperor, held extraordinary significance for ancient military generals who had loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and patriotism ingrained in their very being.
Guo Dingfang, the General of Anxi and the General Who Guards the West, was no exception.
As the commander of the Imperial Guard of the late Emperor Zhao Mang of the Xin Dynasty, Guo Dingfang followed the late emperor in many battles, saving him from danger on several occasions, and was a man of great military achievements.
However, in the end, the late Emperor Zhao Mang only bestowed upon him the title of General Who Guards the West and Commander-in-Chief of the Northwest, which were all appointed after the Second Emperor Zhao Gan ascended the throne.
Now, Zhao Gan has bestowed upon him a yellow battle-axe and bow and arrows. How could Guo Dingfang not be moved to tears, deeply grateful for the Emperor's boundless grace?
However, the contents of that imperial edict left Guo Dingfang in a dilemma, torn between two options.
On the one hand, the Western Regions of the Daxin Dynasty were not as stable as they appeared on the surface, especially the Tubo Kingdom, which was at its zenith after unifying the country and repeatedly invaded the borders of Daxin.
If the news that 100,000 Anxi border troops were to be dispatched to Longcheng to quell the rebellion, as per the imperial edict, were to reach the ears of the Tibetan king, Dama, it would be disastrous.
This Tibetan king, known for his bravery and ruthlessness, would inevitably take advantage of the chaos to invade the borders of Daxin, and might even use coercion and enticement to unite with the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions to overthrow Daxin's control over the Western Regions.
On the other hand, nearly one-fifth of the soldiers in the Anxi Four Garrisons under Guo Dingfang's command were the scattered and reorganized Po Lu Army, who had a natural affinity for Prince Chen Po Lu and his heir Chen Huai'an.
Although Guo Dingfang had been relentlessly promoting the "de-Poluization" of the Anxi army since taking office as the commander-in-chief of Anxi, he had already purged most of the front-line commanders of the original Polu army who were above the rank of commander.
However, he was not entirely sure whether these former Polu Army soldiers would give their all or even defect when they turned around and attacked Longcheng, the fiefdom of the Prince of Jin.
Furthermore, this Polu Army truly lived up to its reputation as the premier army of the Great Xin Dynasty, with combat power far surpassing that of other armies. After being scattered and incorporated into the Anxi Border Army,
Whenever foreign enemies invaded, the soldiers of the Yuan Po Lu Army would always be at the forefront, repeatedly winning with fewer troops and striking fear into the hearts of the enemy, causing them to collapse in disarray.
If Guo Dingfang were to lead the Anxi Border Army, excluding the Po Lu Army, on an expedition to Longcheng to fight against the most elite Longcheng garrison of the Po Lu Army, he really wouldn't be entirely confident.
In particular, the elite Polu Army in Longcheng had just defeated 300,000 Yunhui troops under the command of Prince Chen Huai'an, the heir of the Prince of Jin, and marched north to destroy the Turkic Khaganate.
As the former commander of the imperial guard of the late emperor, Guo Dingfang had the privilege of following Zhao Mang and Chen Polu on two expeditions to the northern desert. He knew better than anyone how brave and difficult the Turkic cavalry were.
Back then, Prince Chen Polu of Jin launched five expeditions to the northern deserts but failed to accomplish the feat of destroying the Turkic Khaganate.
Now, Chen Huai'an's Northern Expedition has directly struck the Turkic royal court, forcing the remaining Turkic forces to flee to the south of the Gobi Desert. This achievement alone is enough to make General Guo Dingfang, the General Who Guards the West, wary.
"Hey, what's wrong with the Emperor? Prince Jin, Chen Polu, has already obediently handed over his military power, so why is he so determined to wipe out the Prince Jin's family?"
Guo Dingfang muttered to himself in his study, "As the saying goes, even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Isn't this forcing Chen Huai'an to rebel?"
"In the end, all these fighting will only result in losses for the military strength of the Great Xin Dynasty. In the end, won't it just benefit those barbarians from the Hu and Ma tribes?"
"The emperor's decree is hard to disobey; this move will be difficult!"
Just as Guo Dingfang was hesitating, a soldier's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Report—"
"Reporting to the General, urgent military news! The Tibetan army has invaded our border!"
"What?"
Inside the study, Guo Dingfang suddenly stood up from his chair, grabbed the sword on the desk, and headed out.
He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly slapped his forehead, realizing something and exclaimed, "Hey, isn't this just like someone bringing you a pillow when you're about to doze off?"
"Dama, you little rascal, you've finally done something good, hahaha!"
Immediately, Guo Dingfang, looking refreshed, loudly ordered towards the outside, "Hey you, immediately notify all the generals of the Anxi border army to urgently discuss strategies for defending against the enemy!"
"Furthermore, dispatch an urgent messenger overnight to the capital to report to the court about the Tibetan bandits' invasion of our Great Xin border, and request the Emperor and the Ministry of War to make a decision!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
......
Longcheng, the residence of Prince Jin.
Chen Huai'an and the black-robed monk Dongfang Xiao walked side by side in the garden of the Prince's Mansion.
Seeing Dongfang Xiao's gloating expression, Chen Huai'an was furious.
It turned out that after receiving the request from Prince Liu Xinwu of Wuning that day, Chen Huai'an thought it over and over again and finally decided to help. On the way to marry Princess Liu Shujun, he sent a surprise force to rescue her.
For Chen Huai'an, this was not a difficult task.
It could even separate Prince Liu Xinwu of Wuning from this matter, sparing him from Zhao Gan's purging.
As for the old monk's suggestion to "marry the princess and go straight to Youyun," Chen Huai'an did not adopt it.
As a time traveler, and a chosen one of this world with the destiny of an emperor, he was quite averse to this kind of political marriage.
In particular, he had never even seen Liu Shujun, the daughter of Prince Wuning, and knew nothing about her height, weight, or appearance.
He had met Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning, a few times. Although he was not ugly, he was definitely not handsome.
From a genetic point of view, it's hard for Chen Huai'an to have any pleasant thoughts about his daughter Liu Shujun's appearance.
Just like when the Turkic Khan Timur proposed an alliance with Chen Huai'an to jointly overthrow the rule of the tyrannical Emperor Zhao Gan.
If Chen Huai'an didn't have the system and 800,000 private soldiers, he might have considered it repeatedly.
Now, when the old monk Dongfang Xiao suggested "marrying the princess and going straight to Youyun," Chen Huai'an had the same considerations and plans.
He was determined to obtain the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.
However, it was definitely not through political marriage.
He had reason, and unconditionally believed, that his subordinate, Chang Yuchun, the deputy marshal of the Longcheng army and the general who led the northern expedition, could take down the remaining fifteen prefectures, excluding Yunzhou, in one fell swoop.
After all, this greatest general of the Ming Dynasty only took Zhu Yuanzhang a year to recover all sixteen prefectures of Youyun.
Unexpectedly, the old monk Dongfang Xiao secretly asked Zhuge Yunsheng, the steward of the Wu Ning Prince's Mansion, to propose a marriage contract between the Jin Prince's Mansion and the Wu Ning Prince's Mansion.
They even threatened them, saying things like, "Liu Xinwu, you can protect your daughter for a while, but you can't protect her forever," which were extremely threatening words.
Isn't this practically trying to find us a wife?
Upon learning this news, Chen Huai'an was in a real bind.
At this moment, still somewhat unwilling to give up, he asked, "Master, did you really propose a marriage alliance between the Prince of Jin's Mansion and the Prince of Wuning's Mansion that day?"
Dongfang Xiao laughed and nodded, saying, "Your Highness, do I look like I'm joking with you?"
"Report—"
"Your Highness Prince Jin, a secret envoy from the Prince of Wuning's residence requests an audience!"
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